Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

The Chase - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Live Sunday from Talladega on ABC

October 1, 2007 -- The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues Sunday, Oct. 7, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Talladega event and all 10 races in the Chase. The Talladega telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

While races at NASCAR’s longest track are always close and spectacular, Sunday’s 500-mile race will have an air of the unknown. The event will mark the first time teams will race on a large superspeedway with NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow.

Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Wallace is the only national TV analyst who has competed in the Chase as a driver.

Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Truck Series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

NASCAR: Chasing Glory Continues Wednesday on ESPN2

The second episode of ESPN2’s new weekly series NASCAR: Chasing Glory airs Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

NASCAR: Chasing Glory is a behind-the-scenes look at the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The 11-part series follows drivers during the final 11 races of the season and documents their preparation for the races.

ESPN Ultimate NASCAR: Greatest Drivers Airs Friday on ESPN2

NASCAR fans will have another chance to watch an episode of the summer series ESPN Ultimate NASCAR when ESPN2 re-airs Greatest Drivers Friday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. ET.

Greatest Drivers counts down the 20 best drivers in the history of NASCAR as selected by a special panel of journalists, historians and officials. ESPN racing announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and lead auto racing analyst Rusty Wallace host the program.

The shows includes commentary from panelists and many others, such as former NASCAR champion and ESPN broadcaster Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Cup champion Darrell Waltrip and Lowe’s Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler.

NASCAR Now Schedule

NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded one-hour edition on the air tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET with extensive highlights from Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Kansas Speedway. The program airs at 6 p.m. in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Friday of this week on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday, Oct. 7, at 10 a.m. with a preview of Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. The weekend wrap-up edition airs Monday, Oct. 8, at midnight.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias or Ryan Burr and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Contributors include analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team.

NHRA Coverage from Virginia To Air This Weekend on ESPN2

With the inaugural Countdown to the Championship playoffs in full swing, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series moves this weekend to Virginia Motorsport Park near Richmond for the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals. ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and finals. Qualifying coverage from the Virginia drag racing facility airs Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. ET, with three hours of finals coverage Sunday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing returned to Virginia last year with a race that shattered pro performance barriers, especially in Pro Stock, when Jason Line set the national record and captured the class championship. The venue provides the perfect setting for the dramatic final event, in which the top 24 teams in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock in the Countdown to the Championship can earn points. The event also is the last chance for Shootout hopefuls to earn points for the Top Fuel bonus race.

Paul Page will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Virginia, with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan will report the action from the pits. Rieff also will host Sunday’s NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. The half-hour program will set the stage for Sunday’s eliminations with driver interviews, features and up-to-the-minute information.

Other NHRA programming on ESPN2 this week includes action from the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series airing Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. ET, followed by an episode of NHRA Stylefest at 5:30 p.m.

Mothers Car Show, Hot Rod Television Featured This Week in ESPN2 Garage

Four episodes of the ESPN2 Garage program Mothers Car Show will air this week, while viewers also will have the chance to catch three episodes of Hot Rod Television.

Mothers Car Show features showcases for cars, bikes, trucks, sport compacts, street rods and everything else with wheels and an engine. The Mothers crew has traveled coast-to-coast to report on the hottest vehicles. Back-to-back episodes of the program air Thursday, Oct. 4, beginning at 5 p.m. ET and Friday, Oct. 5, also beginning at 5 p.m.

The long-running Hot Rod Television made its debut on ESPN2 this year with a new production team and a new attitude as it expanded on the excitement, passion and lifestyle of Hot Rod magazine. With action-packed episodes mixing in the thrill of live events, candid conversations with automotive legends and celebrities plus showing the passion of car enthusiasts worldwide, the show expanded its appeal with entertainment-based features. The program airs Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 6:30 p.m., with episodes the following day at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Designed to complement ESPN’s extensive coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, Champ Car and NHRA racing in 2007, ESPN2 Garage is dedicated to the automotive, motorcycle and motorsports worlds. ESPN2 will air more than 1,100 hours of motorsports programming in 2007.

Source: ESPN